The Sin of Regret
by BloodRaevynn
Summary: [Completed] Kurama falls ill suddenly. - It's a race against time to discover what it is that is tearing Kurama apart, before the Sin of Regret kills him. [KH Shounen Ai]
1. Prologue

A/N: Yay! New YYH fic! I thought it'd _never_ happen I'm writing this for my "Kitsune Mythology Challenge", which can be found here:  
  
I don't know how long this'll be (but it _will_ be longish), or just how many bits of mythology I'll incorporate (so far I have three for sure).  
  
Pairings: Kurama/Hiei, Yuusuke/Keiko, Kuwabara/Yukina, and _maybe_ Koenma/Botan  
  
Rating: PG13 (subject to change)  
  
Warning: Angst, Romance, Yaoi, Lime, I'll even try to write a Lemon for this! (I just can't guarantee the results...)  
  
The Sin of Regret  
  
Prologue  
  
It had started shortly after he left the Makai.  
  
At first it was just like an itch he couldn't scratch; he found himself rubbing his chest quite frequently, trying to quell it.  
  
As the days passed it became a dull ache, a bit like a bruise on his heart.  
  
After a month sharp pains started to wake him in the night, eventually increasing in frequency until they interrupted his waking hours as well.  
  
It has been three months since he left the Makai.  
  
Soaked in sweat Kurama gasps for breath, clutching the sheets like a lifeline. Pain radiates throughout his chest. It is as if someone is trying to crush the breath from his lungs with a mace.  
  
There is a banging sound on the edge of Kurama's awareness. It distracts him from the overpowering pain just enough that he can let out a strangled cry.  
  
The next thing he is aware of beyond the pain is cool hands on his forehead and a soft, familiar voice; through tear-filled eyes, Kurama is barely able to recognize the person at his bedside.  
  
'Kaasan.'  
  
The darkness overtakes him suddenly. 


	2. Chapter 1

A/N: Thanx for all the lovely reviews (from the ff.net peeps that is [gives mm.org peeps a slightly irritated look]). Here's chapter 1, wherein you get to see a little bit of my bizarre/immature sense of humor.  
  
I noticed that the URL for my challenge didn't show up, so I'll tell you about the Kitsune Mythology Challenge. Basically, go do some research on Kitsune Mythology, and then incorporate some of it into a YYH fic. Simple, ne? "Foxtrot's Collection of Kitsune Lore" (www.comnet.ca/~foxtrot/kitsune/index.html) is the best page I've found.  
  
The Sin of Regret Chapter 1  
  
If his fiancée hadn't been holding onto his arm, he would probably have entered the hospital at a dead run. As it was all heads turned when they entered and followed them until they turned the corner; the quiet speculations continued long after they had entered the lobby of the ICU.  
"What happened!?" Yuusuke demanded as soon as he spotted Kurama's family.  
"I came over to have lunch with him," Shiori said in a near whisper. "I was knocking on the door and I heard him cry out, so I used my key...I found him in the bedroom..." She brought one hand to her mouth to stifle a sob. "He-he was in so much pain!" Her husband pulled her into an embrace as she broke down.  
"The doctor is examining him now," Hatanaka told Yuusuke. "My wife told me to call his friends, but she could only remember your number."  
"I called the others," Yuusuke replied.  
"I guess all we can do now is wait," Keiko said quietly.  
  
~*~  
  
By the time the doctor came out, Kuwabara, Shizuru, Yukina, and Genkai had arrived and been filled in.  
"We're waiting for some of the test results to come back," the doctor told them. "We haven't found anything yet but frankly it doesn't look good. He's in a lot of pain, and we won't be able to give him anything until we get the results of his blood work."  
"Can I see him?" Shiori asked.  
"Yes, just be prepared."  
Yuusuke started to follow Shiori and the doctor, but the doctor stopped him.  
"Immediate family only."  
Scowling, he returned to his seat next to Keiko.  
  
~*~  
  
When Shiori returned she was crying again.  
"They just gave him some morphine," she said. "I hope it helps the pain. They'll tell us if there's any change."  
"If we could get Yukina-chan in there she'd make him all better." Kuwabara muttered to Yuusuke. Yuusuke nodded his agreement.  
"We're only on the second floor," Yuusuke mused. "Either of us could easily jump up to the window. There might be a little trouble if the window's latched though."  
"So we just bash it in!!"  
"Shhh!" Yuusuke smacked Kuwabara upside the head.  
"Urameshi~!"  
"Don't shout, you'll give us away."  
"A broken window is nothing compared to the life of our comrade!" Kuwabara continued at a much more acceptable volume.  
"Yeah but it won't make a difference if we get thrown out before Yukina can do anything."  
Meanwhile, Shizuru rolled her eyes and sighed exasperatedly. 'Men. Honestly!'  
"Yukina-chan, come with me." Shizuru said. Yukina looked baffled but followed Shizuru to the nurse's station. Curious, Kuwabara and Yuusuke followed as well.  
"Excuse me, obasan," Shizuru said to the nurse, who eyed the unlit cigarette dangling from Shizuru's lips as if it might spontaneously ignite and set the whole hospital on fire. "Is it okay if my friend goes to see her boyfriend for a moment?" Yuusuke smacked Kuwabara again before he could object and blow Yukina's cover.  
The nurse took one look at Yukina's wide, tearful eyes, and (failing to register that said eyes were of a _very_ unusual shade) absolutely melted.  
"You poor dear," the nurse fairly cooed. "Of course you can, just give me his name and I'll take you right to him. You can't stay long, mind you."  
"Minamino Shuuichi." Shizuru said.  
"Yes, here it is," the nurse said. "Room 241." She came around the counter and guided Yukina down the hall toward the room. "Come along dear, you can call me Michiko. What's your name?"  
"Yukina."  
"The morphine doesn't seem to be working," a younger nurse said, as Michiko entered. "Oh! I thought you were the doctor. Who's this?"  
"His girlfriend, poor dear."  
Yukina walked up to the bed, where Kurama was writhing, his face contorted with pain. She placed her hand lightly on his forehead, reaching out to get a feel of his body. She found the problem immediately.  
Kurama's youki was extremely agitated; almost like it was trying to tear him apart from the inside, though there was nothing physically wrong...at least...not yet. Yukina tried to calm his youki, but she could only do a little before she became exhausted. She swayed on her feet and felt Michiko's hands steadying her.  
"There, there, Yukina-chan." Michiko said, soothingly. "It's alright; see, he's a bit better now, the morphine must be starting to work. I think it's probably a good idea for you to go back to your friends now, hmm?"  
  
~*~  
  
"We should contact Koenma," Yuusuke said, once Yukina told them what had happened. "He must have some idea of what's happening to Kurama."  
"I'm staying here," Yukina said. "Even if I can only help him a little, it's more than the people here can do."  
"Then, naturally, I, Kuwabara Kazuma will stay to protect you."  
"Aho," Shizuru snorted, "You'll blow her cover if you stay. Keiko, Genkai, and I will look after her. Go with Yuusuke; he'll probably need your 'keen diplomatic skills'."  
"Yes! That's right! I'm a keendip-lo-matic! If Koenma won't help, I'll keendip his ass!!!"  
Shizuru dropped her head into her hand, her shoulders shaking with mortification or suppressed laughter; it was a toss-up which it was.  
"Yeah...you do that..." 


	3. Chapter 2

A/N: You can go to my webpage to find out more about the Kitsune Mythology Challenge (the link is in my profile). While you're there, you might as well check out the rest of my page too ^_~ ; not that there's much to look at, I don't even have all my fics up yet.  
  
More reviews would be nice! The last chapter got 60 views on mm.org, but the whole story only got 2 reviews (mm.org people seem to think that just because we have hit counters we don't need reviews; very not true, reviews are muse-fodder), and on ff.net only 1 of the 8 reviews was for chapter 1 (though that's probably largely due to the "small" fiasco I had with posting it...). Feed the muse, people!!! Shonia's obstinate when she's hungry! She's starting to think you don't like us! My inspiration is starting to dwindle already! I might just have to hold on to chapter three for a while longer so that my buffer doesn't run out! (I keep a buffer so that I can make adjustments keep the flow from chapter to chapter smooth; its one of my polishing techniques.)  
  
Replies:  
  
katyfoxdemon2 (ff.net) - Yeah, I wish the chapters were longer too (this one is, but it's the longest one so far [I have chapter 4 finished already]); unfortunately that's the way the inspiration goes; I couldn't ignore the natural chapter breaks any more than I could put chapter breaks where they aren't. Hopefully they'll get longer as the story progresses, but I somehow doubt that will happen.  
  
StormAZ (mm.org) - Well, I'm not anticipating any strange twists in this one, but then, I wasn't expecting what happened in "Parting Gift" either...  
  
Chapter 2  
  
"...Yukina says that it's like his youki is tearing him up from the inside. Any ideas?"  
Koenma's teenage face regarded them seriously from the screen of Yuusuke's com.  
"Off the top of my head, I can't say I know what it could be," Koenma said. "However I know of something that might be able to help him; I'll send Botan with it immediately. Have you contacted Hiei? I know he and Kurama are friends, he might know something."  
"That shrimp's still hiding in the Makai," Kuwabara said from behind Yuusuke. "No one's heard from him in months; not even Kurama."  
"I'll tell Botan to take one of you to Mukuro's castle afterwards. I'll contact you when I know more."  
  
~*~  
  
Half an hour later, Botan met them in front of the hospital.  
"What did you bring us?" Yuusuke asked.  
"It's a ki-limiter," Botan said, showing them the thin silver armband. "It should slow the damage to his body. So where's his room?"  
"On the second floor, on this side...I think." Yuusuke said.  
Botan did a quick fly-by of the second-floor windows before stopping by one. She blanched when she caught sight of Kurama, his body shaking with small spasms, his face a study of pain. There was no else present, so the ferry girl quickly ghosted through the wall into the room and closed the ki-limiter around Kurama's right upper-arm before ghosting back out.  
"I hope that helps," she said as she landed.  
Suddenly, Yuusuke's com started beeping.  
"What is it, Koenma?" Yuusuke asked, once he'd turned it on.  
"I found Minamino Shuuichi's file on my desk," Koenma said gravely.  
"WHAT!?!" Yuusuke and Kuwabara shouted in unison.  
"Relax," Koenma said. "It was in a pile of pending cases."  
"Well? What does it say?" Kuwabara asked.  
"Normally I wouldn't--"  
"Yeah, yeah, we know." Yuusuke said, rolling his eyes.  
"His chances of survival are less than 10%," Koenma said. "Apparently this is a situation that he has had several chances to avoid but he's failed to make the right choice every time. As for the cause of death, it says to refer to Youko Kurama's file."  
"Well, what does the other file say?" Kuwabara asked.  
"I don't know."  
"You don't _know_!?!" Kuwabara demanded in disbelief. "What the hell do you mean by _that_?"  
"Youkai death records are not in my jurisdiction." Koenma said. "And by the time I get through all the red tape It'll be a moot point anyway."  
"Shit." Kuwabara muttered.  
"So now what?" Yuusuke asked.  
"I have George and Hinageshi in the Reikai library digging up any pertinent information on Youko, and I have another group checking for any similar youkai illnesses. I'll call you when I find out more." The screen went blank as Koenma disconnected.  
"So we just _wait_!?" Kuwabara grumbled. "Whatta lousy plan."  
"Well, if you want to kill some time we still have to go get Hiei," Botan reminded them.  
"Forget it," Kuwabara muttered. "Dealing with the shrimp isn't my idea of fun right now."  
"Why don't you escort Yukina and obaasan back to the temple?" Shizuru's voice came from the hospital entry. "Yukina's practically dead on her feet after working on Kurama. Besides," she said, lighting her cigarette, "you never know if there's some rogue youkai wandering around waiting to prey on a delicate young lady."  
"Of course!" Kuwabara announced. "I must protect My Love! Yuuukiiiiinaaaa-chaaann!!!" He ran off into the hospital.  
"Let's just hope he's able to pull himself together before he gets to the waiting room," Shizuru commented.  
"He's definitely what they meant by 'love's fool'." Botan giggled. "Well, let's go."  
"Are you and Keiko going to be staying long?"  
"I can't speak for Keiko," Shizuru said. "But I'll wait around until you get back with that ill-tempered firebaby."  
"Take this," Yuusuke tossed her his com. "Call us if anything happens, and if Koenma calls tell him to call us on Botan's com."  
"Right."  
"I should scold you for giving Reikai property to a civilian but--"  
"Yeah, yeah, let's go."  
  
~*~  
  
Hiei had just come back from patrol and was looking forward to a couple hours of uninterrupted sleep, when a small youkai waylaid him and informed him that he had visitors.  
Grumbling to himself, Hiei headed toward the room the youkai had told him the guests were waiting in.  
"What a surprise," Hiei commented, with a combination of sarcasm and annoyance, upon seeing Yuusuke and Botan. "Whatever Koenma wants this time, it's none of my business."  
"This isn't about Koenma," Yuusuke said. "It's about Kurama."  
Something prickled somewhere in the vicinity of Hiei's heart, even as Hiei replied indifferently; "What _about_ Kurama?"  
"He's sick," Botan said.  
"So what?" Hiei said, crossing his arms and feigning disinterest. "It's his own fault for staying in a weak, ningen body. He'll get over it." He turned away and made as if to walk back out the way he came, but he stopped to give them a sidelong glare over his shoulder. "Or does he want me to come hold his hand until he's feeling better? I thought that's what that ningen onna was for."  
Yuusuke and Botan were taken aback by Hiei's attitude. Sure, Hiei was antagonistic by nature, but they had been under the impression that Hiei and Kurama were close. What could have changed that?  
"Hiei..." Botan said quietly, as the fire demon started to walk to the door. "Kurama's dying."  
Hiei stopped dead, eyes widening. The prickle became a vicious stab. He clenched his eyes shut and tried to get his emotions back under control before turning to face the others.  
"What happened?"  
"We don't know." Yuusuke replied. "Yukina examined him; she said that it's like his youki is trying to tear him apart."  
"I put a ki-limiter on him to slow the effects," Botan said. "But it's only a matter of time." Hiei's hands clenched at his sides. "The thing is," Botan continued slowly. "It seems this is something he had a lot of opportunities to avoid, but didn't."  
"Have you considered the possibility that he's just gotten tired of his human body, and he's getting rid of it?" Hiei asked.  
"Well..." Botan said, biting her lip.  
"And in any case, why are you getting so worked up over this when he'll just return to his old form in the Makai anyway?"  
"Look," Yuusuke interjected. "Are you coming or not?" Hiei turned and started walking back to the door.  
"Ore wa kankeinai." [1]  
"Maybe he's right," Botan said, after Hiei had left.  
"Yeah right!" Yuusuke replied disdainfully. "Kurama would _never_ willingly hurt his mother like that!"  
"That's true..." Botan said, as they left the room. "But I mostly meant the other part; the part about Kurama just returning to the Makai when his human body dies. I mean, that would explain the annotation about referring to his Youko file, right?"  
"Maybe," Yuusuke replied.  
They continued out of the castle in silence, but as Botan mounted her oar Yuusuke added; "But if that was the case then wouldn't Koenma just assume that's what the note meant?"  
  
~*~  
  
Hiei watched his visitors leave, his mind in turmoil.  
'Kurama is sick.'  
'Kurama is _dying_.'  
'Ignore the stab that thought causes.'  
'Kurama will just be coming back to the Makai, free from his human obligations... won't he?'  
Hiei's brow knotted and he fixed his expression into a scowl.  
'What does it matter?'  
"He's Youko, Hiei. A kitsune...  
"I'm only telling you this because I'm concerned about you..."  
Quickly, Hiei crushed the memory; but not quickly enough to prevent the feeling of overwhelming betrayal that it induced.  
"He can't just take whatever he wants from me!" Hiei shouted out the window irrationally. The few youkai that happened to be walking below glanced up and him with puzzled expressions; Hiei glared at them until they left, then turned and walked to his bed and fell onto it, the exhaustion of the long patrol and the visit from Yuusuke and Botan catching up with him quickly.  
But even as he fell asleep, one thought continued to circle through his head, accompanied by an image of shining green eyes and long crimson hair.  
'Kurama is dying...'  
  
[1] "Ore wa kankeinai" - "It doesn't concern me." 


	4. Chapter 3

A/N: Sorry for the wait! For those of you who don't already know, I had a minor inspirational crisis of an unusual sort: I had too _much_ inspiration!!! I had two different ways I thought that the story could go in the next couple chapters, and I couldn't decide which one I wanted. I figured it out, finally, compromising between my two ideas, and I had to rewrite the last half of chapter 4, which led to the addition of some dialogue that might be important later, and a scene that made the whole transition to certain events in chapter 5 much smoother. So anyway, here's chapter 3, and hopefully chapter 5 will progress smoothly so that I can get chapter 4 to you soon. On the muse front....ACK!!! I now have one, possibly two, prequels to this fic planned, as well as _another_ YYH fic, which is based on the idea I originally had when I started writing "Parting Gift"; also I have a Trigun epic (if anyone's read Axis, yes, it's the prequel to that), and a Digimon epic (no, not at all related to "Shattered Reflections" and "Trust and Kindness"), plus she's starting to pick at one of my old Gundam Wing fic ideas (sorry, not "The Crow: Shinigami", the reprise of "Acting Therapy") -_-;;; Jeez, Shonia sure has a thing for the epics, doesn't she?  
  
Sin of Regret Chapter 3  
  
Shiori stood up immediately when the doctor came into the waiting room and fixed his eyes on her and her husband.  
"How is he?" Shiori asked.  
"He seems to have stabilized," the doctor said, giving her a reassuring smile. "He's sleeping now. Why don't you go home and get some sleep yourself?"  
"If you don't mind, I'd like to stay here, in case..."  
"Why don't we set up a cot in an empty room for you?"  
"Thank you. Is it alright if I look in on him?"  
"Only for a moment."  
  
~*~  
  
Shizuru met Yuusuke and Botan in the hallway to the waiting room.  
"The limiter seems to be working," she said, without preamble. "Shiori-san just went in to see him. How did it go with Hiei?"  
"Not well." Yuusuke replied, with a sour expression. "He was a real bastard!" At Shizuru's sardonic look he amended; "I mean, a lot more than usual."  
"Well, I'm shoving off." Shizuru said. "You should probably take your fiancée home." Shizuru tossed the com back to Yuusuke and walked off down the hall.  
"Don't worry." Botan laid a hand on his arm in a reassuring gesture. "I'm going to stay here to keep an eye on him. You should get some rest."  
"Yeah."  
Yuusuke walked into the waiting room and saw Keiko asleep across two of the uncomfortable plastic chairs. He crouched down beside her and looked at her angelic, sleeping face, brushing a lock of her hair out of her face. Keiko's eyes opened slowly and she gave Yuusuke a small smile.  
"Let's go," Yuusuke said quietly.  
  
~*~  
  
Shiori stood by her son's bedside, watching him sleep. His sleep wasn't altogether peaceful; his brows were knotted slightly and he tossed and turned every so often. She brushed his sweat-soaked bangs off his forehead, feeling that his temperature had gone down a little, though it was still high.  
Shuuichi's right arm jerked slightly, and a silver gleam caught Shiori's eye. She moved the edge of the hospital gown sleeve up and saw that a silver band with engraved symbols was wrapped around his arm.  
"'Kaasan..." Shiori looked up from inspecting the band and saw her son's slightly glazed, green eyes fixed on her.  
"I didn't mean to wake you."  
"Iie...daijoubu..." Shuuichi glanced over at the band with a puzzled expression, then it changed to recognition and he chuckled softly. "I see...how clever..."  
"What is it?" Shiori asked.  
"Nothing..." Shuuichi's eyes drifted shut. "Gomen, 'Kaasan...I never meant to hurt you..."  
"Don't say things like that," Shiori admonished softly. "You're a strong young man, you will get better soon." She watched as her son's breathing evened out and she decided that he was asleep, then she quietly left the room.  
  
~*~  
  
Yuusuke and Keiko were nearly back to Keiko's house before Yuusuke broke the silence.  
"Y'know, part of me is hoping that Kurama's sickness is from some kind of youkai attack. I guess that might sound a little weird..."  
"Not really," Keiko replied. "Because if it's a youkai, then you have something real that you can fight." Keiko smiled at Yuusuke's dumbfounded expression. "Don't look so surprised, I've known you since we were kids, you don't think I'd know a little about how you think by now?"  
"I guess you have a point there..."  
"Why didn't Hiei come?" Keiko asked. "I thought he'd come right away if he heard that Kurama is sick."  
"So did I," Yuusuke said. "He acted like I'd expect him to if it were Kuwabara who was sick. No... Maybe even worse."  
"Worse?" Keiko asked, looking surprised. "What do you mean?"  
"Well," Yuusuke said slowly. "If it were Kuwabara, he'd grumble and say it served him right, but he'd probably still come." 'If for no other reason than to look after Yukina.'  
By then they'd reached Keiko's house. Yuusuke pulled his fiancée close and gave her a deep kiss. He just continued to hold her in his arms for a moment, savoring the feeling of her warm body against his before letting her go.  
"What was that for?" Keiko asked with a gentle smile.  
"What? I have to have a reason?" Yuusuke asked. "Goodnight, Keiko."  
"Goodnight, Yuu-chan." She went inside an shut the door, even as he started to sputter indignant protests to the pet name.  
  
~*~  
  
Incessant beeping infiltrated Yuusuke's dreams. Still mostly asleep, he reached out and smacked his alarm clock before realizing that the beeping was in a completely different pitch than his clock.  
Yuusuke sat up and glared muzzily at his nightstand for a moment before he registered that the sound was coming from his com.  
"Wazzit?" Yuusuke mumbled at Koenma.  
"I think I know what's wrong with Kurama." 


	5. Chapter 4

A/N: Finally! A decent length chapter! (unfortunately, chapter five has also stubbornly stuck to the 3 page average that this fic seems to be holding to -_-) I really seriously love and respect Botan; I don't think I ever consciously realized this until I was writing this chapter. I don't think I'm portraying her OOC at all, she's a very formidable lady when the necessity arises, and these circumstances certainly call for her serious side. Most people only think of Yuusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama, and Hiei as being the Reikai Tantei, and Botan as being nothing more than a messenger, when, in fact she is a very integral part of the team; sure, she doesn't fight much, but the things she _does_ do are no less important. Don't forget that the "five man team" has been a staple of shounen anime for more than 30 years (since Gatchaman, 1972); where would our boys be without their "capable female" to help them? ^_~. But enough blabber; here's the long awaited (sorry!), double length (don't get used to it) Chapter 4!  
  
Sin of Regret Chapter 4  
  
"_Regret_!?" Kuwabara burst out incredulously; Yuusuke had called him over so that Koenma could tell them both at the same time. "What the hell kinda fucked up way to die is THAT!?!"  
"'Fucked up' or not," Koenma said, "there are only a couple things that can cause a Youko to become self-destructive, and since breaking a promise usually results in physical self-destructive acts, that leaves the Sin of Regret."  
"Surely there are plenty of things Kurama regrets!" Yuusuke objected.  
"It's not that simple," Koenma said. "Youko generally live their lives by the principal of doing and taking whatever they want, and they don't usually feel guilt over hurting others; that's why so many of them are thieves. If they fail to get something they want, or if their actions blow up in their faces...well, at least they tried. Regret, for a Youko, is the result not taking a chance on something potentially important to them when the opportunity presents itself."  
"But what on Earth could Kurama be regretting?" Yuusuke asked.  
"It might not be something recent," Koenma replied. "Being human may have protected him from the effects for a while. But more importantly, since this is a Youko condition it's likely that both Kurama's human and Youko selves will die."  
  
~*~  
  
"The limiter was a clever idea," Kurama said to the ferry girl. "But even so, you couldn't have bought me much time." Botan sighed and looked down at her fingers playing with the edges of her kimono sleeves. "How long?"  
"An extra month," Botan said. "Added to the week you had previously. But the last two weeks won't be...pleasant."  
"So we might as well take it off three weeks from now and get it over with quickly." The resigned tone of his voice rocked Botan to the core.  
"You've given up!?" Botan exclaimed. "This isn't like you!! What's wrong with you, Kurama!?!"  
"You should probably go," Kurama said, looking away. "'Kaasan will be back soon."  
"Kurama..." His eyes remained evasive and Botan's lips tightened into a firm line. "Fine, I'm going; but even if _you've_ given up, I haven't, and neither have Yuusuke, Koenma, or any of your other friends. Keep that in mind before you decide to stop fighting!" She fixed him with a meaningful glare before allowing herself to slip out of the physical plane.  
Kurama's illness, his resignation to his imminent death...it just didn't add up, and the only unknown variable in the equation...was Hiei.  
Something had changed between Hiei and Kurama, and there was little doubt in her mind that the change had some bearing on Kurama's current condition.  
It wasn't just a gut reaction. Botan had been dealing with the dead and dying for a couple centuries now, she had seen how the bonds between people could influence them; she had seen people pulled back from the brink of death by the ones they loved, and she had seen perfectly healthy people suddenly decline and die after the bonds with the people most important to them were severed by anger or death. Having seen these things, Hiei's apathy towards Kurama's situation caused a knot of fury to grow in the pit of her stomach.  
  
~*~  
  
"How do you feel, Shuuichi?" Shiori asked, as she sat down in the chair beside her son's bed.  
"Better," he replied. "The doctors want to keep me here for observation for a couple more days, but if I don't get worse and they still can't find anything wrong with me I can go home." He smiled, but Shiori could see bitterness in it and she wondered about it.  
"_Is_ there something wrong?" She asked quietly.  
Kurama was saved from having to answer her when Yuusuke came in.  
"I heard you were feeling better," Yuusuke said. "So I came to bother you. Kuwabara and the others will visit later."  
"I guess I'll leave you boys alone to talk," Shiori said, getting up. "I'm going to go home for a while, but I'll be back soon."  
As soon as she left Yuusuke's expression became serious.  
"Regret is a stupid way to die, Kurama."  
Kurama's eyes widened, then he looked down at his hands.  
"How did you find out?"  
"Koenma did some digging," Yuusuke replied.  
"I see."  
When Kurama didn't volunteer any more information Yuusuke decided to ask.  
"What the hell are you regretting!? Is it your mother?"  
Kurama shook his head. "If I told her she would be terrified; not of me, I don't doubt that she'd accept me regardless, but knowing that all the monsters she was afraid of when she was a child are real... I don't need her to know all my secrets; she loves me as her son and that's exactly what I am. That's all that matters."  
"So if it's not that then... Does it have something to do with Hiei?"  
"What...makes you ask that?"  
"Well, I'm guessing the two of you got in some kind of fight, considering how he acted when I went to see him."  
"You went to see him?"  
"Yeah. He was a total bastard. What happened between you two?"  
"I wish I knew," Kurama replied. "Nothing actually _happened_, as far as I know; Hiei just closed off from me suddenly."  
"So is that why you're dying?"  
"I wish it were that simple," Kurama said, softly, "but it's much more complicated than that."  
"Are you saying that you _know_ what you're regretting?" Yuusuke asked incredulously. There was a slight tightening of the muscles in Kurama's back and shoulders. "You _knew_ this would happen, and you didn't _do_ something about it!?!" Yuusuke shouted.  
"It's not like that," Kurama said. "I don't fully understand what happened or how it happened...or how to fix it. I don't think this would have happened if I'd never become ningen. Ningen emotions can be so much more complicated than youkai emotions, possibly because of how short the ningen lifespan is; they just feel so much so fast, everything's mixed up and it's hard to make sense of it. By the time I realized what was going on, it was already too late."  
"Well, we bought you some time," Yuusuke pointed out. "You damn well better use it to figure this out, because I am _not_ loosing one of my friends over something this pathetic!!!"  
"Botan said something to that effect a couple hours ago."  
"There, see! If even a ditz like her thinks so, you'd better listen!!!"  
"There's a flaw in that statement somewhere," Kurama said, yawning. "But right now I'm still too tired to think of it."  
  
~*~  
  
Botan stormed down a hall in the Reikai Library, not noticing that the various Oni, ferry girls, and other spirits she passed gave her a wide berth. It was rare to see Botan angry, but when she _was_ anyone with a sense of self-preservation, whether they had had previous experience with this or not, knew to stay out of firing range. A few of the more seasoned Oni ducked into whatever doorway was nearest; even among those who had been around for a couple centuries, few had ever seen her _this_ angry. An angry Botan would use her full authority if provoked, and many of her subordinates had found themselves demoted back to janitorial duties for crossing her on days like these; particularly offensive employees had also ended up with an assortment of oar-inflicted wounds for their foolishness.  
Naturally, word of Botan's "mood" soon reached Koenma and he sent George, one of the few Oni not completely terrified by her moods, to get her. Of course, the fact that George wasn't _completely_ terrified, didn't mean he wasn't still more than a little apprehensive.  
George met her at the end of the hall.  
"Ano...Botan-san," George started, _very_ respectfully.  
"What?" Botan snapped. George cringed; at least she couldn't demote him.  
"K-Koenma-sama requests your presence."  
Botan merely nodded curtly and headed for the shortest route to Koenma's office.  
She entered Koenma's office and stood before his desk. Koenma looked up from the pile of papers he was processing, then shifted from his toddler form to his teenaged form and stood up.  
"I heard that you're in a bad mood," Koenma commented. Botan had the good grace to look a little chagrined.  
"Maybe a little," the ferry girl replied.  
"A _little_? Botan, you demoted the head librarian back to stacking shelves because she couldn't locate a book you wanted; which, might I add, turned out to be in the rather large mess of reference books being used by the team of Oni I assigned to research Kurama's condition."  
"Okay, I guess I overreacted..."  
"What's wrong?" Koenma asked.  
"It's nothing, I'll go apologize and get back to work."  
"I'm not asking you boss to employee, Botan," Koenma said. "I'm asking as a friend; if I'm not overstepping my bounds."  
"Sorry..." Botan sighed. "I'm mad about Hiei; the way he acted when we told him that Kurama's dying...I just can't _believe_ he could behave that way! I thought Kurama was his best friend!" Botan scowled. "And if that's not enough Kurama's all set to die! He's not fighting things at all!!!"  
"If I'm not mistaken," Koenma said, thoughtfully. "Hiei isn't aware of the current developments; he's still under the impression that Youko Kurama will be returning to the Makai once Minamino Shuuichi dies. At this point we've pretty much confirmed that this isn't the case. And even if he _does_ return to his original form upon his human body's death, he will almost certainly die shortly thereafter; after all, his humanity has been buffering the effects of his condition somewhat. As a Youko he wouldn't last more than a day.  
"Perhaps it would be a good idea to appraise Hiei of this new information?"  
Botan suddenly leaned across the desk and gave Koenma a peck on the cheek. "_Thank_ you, Koenma-sama!" Koenma smiled slightly, touching the spot on his cheek where the feeling of the cerulean-haired ferry girl's kiss still remained, as Botan all but ran from the room.  
  
~*~  
  
Botan landed in front of the gates of Mukuro's castle.  
"I'm here to see Hiei." She announced. "Don't bother fetching him, just tell me where he is."  
The guards glared at her for a moment, but they knew who she was and that if any harm came to her it would only get Mukuro in trouble with the Reikai, so they gave her the information and let her pass. Besides, with that look in her eyes she was a little scary...  
  
~*~  
  
Hiei looked up with surprise when Botan slammed open his bedroom door.  
"I just thought I'd tell you," she said, without preamble, "that it's actually Youko Kurama who's dying, not just Minamino Shuuichi." She glared at his shocked expression. "Are you still going to stand there and say it doesn't matter to you?" She turned on her heel and stalked back out.  
Hiei stared after the irate ferry girl blankly, then her words sank in and his eyes widened. He was still frozen with shock and indecision when Mukuro came into the room.  
"I hear you had visitors again," she said. "Should I be expecting you to take your leave of me soon?"  
"Kurama's dying," Hiei said, a slight tremor in his voice. "Really dying."  
Mukuro took in her heir's shell-shocked expression and sighed.  
"I stand by what I said about him, Hiei," Mukuro said. "However, you should probably go see him."  
  
~*~  
  
"How do you feel, Kurama-san?" Yukina asked softly, as she sat down in the chair beside the bed.  
"Better," Kurama replied, smiling for her sake. "The doctors will probably let me go tomorrow or the next day."  
"That's good," Yukina said. "These people do not have the ability to help you. There is no point in staying with them. Demo..." Her eyes lowered. "I cannot help you much either."  
"It isn't your fault, Yukina," Kurama said, gently. "This is an inherent danger for my kind."  
"Even so..."  
  
~*~  
  
Hiei came to rest on the roof of the hospital, removing the ward on his Jagan to search for Kurama's ki. He nearly missed it; would have if he hadn't sensed Yukina. He knew that Botan had used a limiter to slow the damage from Kurama's agitated youki, but he hadn't expected it to be so frighteningly weak; Hiei could broadcast his presence and Kurama wouldn't sense him at all. The realization that Kurama was completely powerless hit Hiei like a two-by-four to the head.  
Vulnerability was not something that Hiei associated with Kurama; even the first time he had met the kitsune he had sensed that, despite appearances, he was quite dangerous, much like the rose that was his trademark. But now Kurama was every bit as helpless as...as an ordinary ningen, and reconciling that knowledge left Hiei with a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach.  
Hiei didn't even realize that he was scanning the area for potential threats until he sensed Botan making an aerial approach. Without a second thought, Hiei hid in the shadows of the stairwell and cloaked his presence; keeping track of Botan as she entered the hospital. He was not ready to make his presence known; he still felt betrayed by Kurama and needed time and space to think. Even so, he would stay near, if only to protect Kurama from enemies who might try to take advantage of his weakened state; Hiei owed him at least that much.  
  
Reviews are muse fodder! Feed the muse please!!! ^_^ 


	6. Chapter 5

A/N: Well, another disgustingly short chapter; but that's fine since I'm almost done. There's only one more chapter and the epilogue! You don't need to wait long for them either, since they're already finished! (They just need a little bit of refinement)  
  
The Sin of Regret Chapter 5  
  
A brown, lizard-like youkai crept through the bushes of someone's back yard, he knew he was getting close, he could feel residual youki in some of the plants up ahead. This area had long been "off limits" to youkai; protected by some mid-level youkai or hanyou, though he had heard some rumors that the beautiful, red-haired plant-manipulator was actually the reincarnated Youko Kurama. He had all but disregarded these rumors.  
In any case, the youkai in the area had been testing the boundaries of this territory for the last month, coming in as far as they dared before leaving quickly. The current rumor was that the owner of this territory was dead, and it was now up for grabs. The lizard-like youkai had decided to seek out the center of the territory, to find the home of the protector and ascertain if he was dead or not, and if not, if he was weak enough to kill easily.  
Close now, the youkai could more easily feel the youki in the plants; the lizard had the useful ability of blending his youki in with the ki of the plants around him, and as such had developed the ability to read plant ki, so he could feel that the residual youki served the purpose of strengthening these plants and making them more resistant to extremes. He could also feel that the youki was old, at least a year or so.  
A slight rustling of leaves caused the youkai to look up nervously and suddenly he was assaulted by a strong youki; not the same forest youki that he felt from the plants, but rather fire youki, hot and oppressive. The youkai had only a moment to register the small figure in the tree before it vanished in a blur of movement and the flash of a katana ended the lizard youkai's life.  
  
Hiei glared the corpse of the larger youkai; they had been getting more and more daring lately, this one had been almost in Kurama's backyard when Hiei had noticed him, damn chameleon youkai. Hiei burned the corpse away with the black fire, until only some small bits of bone were left; Hiei picked them up and regarded them thoughtfully, then ran off to deposit them around the edges of Kurama's territory as a warning to other youkai.  
A week had passed since Hiei had returned to the ningenkai. Kurama had since been released from the hospital and had moved back in with his family; he hadn't wanted to, but he knew that Shiori would worry constantly if he went back to his apartment. So far, Hiei had dealt with a couple of youkai who were out for revenge and this chameleon who was apparently interested in Kurama's territory; Hiei might have considered letting him take it too, if he hadn't gone after Kurama.  
The weak youkai who came into the ningenkai were seldom enough of a threat to warrant the Reikai's attention, and the smart ones kept it that way by preying on animals rather than humans. They carved out their own territories in the ningenkai, just as in the Makai.  
When Kurama's ningen body had turned ten and he had began to regain his powers he too started to carve out his own territory; it had simply been something he _needed_ to do, it was a way to strengthen his powers, to make himself feel like a youkai again by washing away the "ningen taint" with youkai blood. It was also an instinctive compulsion.  
Hiei had never quite shared that compulsion; sure, he had every intention of inheriting Mukuro's territory once she died, but territory was just something he wanted, not something he needed.  
Hiei placed the last bit of bone, then turned back toward Kurama's family's house. In a matter of minutes he was perched in the tree outside Kurama's window, carefully positioned so that he wouldn't be seen but could easily look in on the kitsune. He wasn't ready yet to face Kurama, he didn't know how to reconcile the Kurama he had thought he'd known and the feelings he had for the kitsune with the things Mukuro had told him.  
Hiei had always known that youko were promiscuous and that they were much sought after as lovers, he also knew that Youko Kurama had a particularly colorful past; that had been part of the reason he had been slow to accept Kurama's subtle advances. Eventually, though, he had gradually started to respond; however, once Mukuro had noticed this, she took Hiei aside and calmly laid everything out for him.  
Youko are similar to incubi and succubi; that is, they are energy vampires who feed off their partners during sex. As Hiei knew from prior experience, those who feed off the ki of others find the unique ki of the only known Forbidden Child of the Koorime to be irresistible; and Hiei also knew that Kurama loved a good challenge, the kind of challenge that seducing a taciturn fire youkai would present.  
The picture that had emerged with this new knowledge had been enough to send the little youkai into a state of deep shock that Mukuro hadn't been able to bring him out of for the better part of two days.  
For a Forbidden Child, who had been abandoned at birth and had been shunned almost his entire life, this kind of betrayal from someone he trusted and was growing to love was a shattering blow. Hiei had immediately closed of his heart to Kurama...or at least, he had tried to; but, despite everything, Hiei was still compelled to protect Kurama, and no excuse could change the fact that he did so because he still had alarmingly strong feelings for the kitsune.  
  
~*~  
  
Mukuro frowned as one of her Jaki[1] gave her the latest report on Hiei's actions. This wasn't getting anywhere. She had hoped that once Hiei went to the ningenkai he would finally confront the Youko; but he still had made no move to resolve the problem, and, knowing Hiei, he would keep avoiding it until something forced his hand.  
Hiei's response to her information had been worse than she'd expected; yes, she had known he would be hurt by the knowledge, but less so than when Kurama inevitably tired of and abandoned him. Once Hiei had come out of his shock he'd thrown himself into his duties as heir to the point that Mukuro had become concerned for his health; a dead heir was of no use to her, after all. Obviously, Hiei's feelings for the Youko were deeper than she had originally estimated.  
"I hate being wrong," she muttered.  
"Eh?" The Jaki had finished it's report and was waiting for it's next order.  
"Nothing," Mukuro sighed. "Get a few other Jaki together and find that blue-haired ferry-girl. Tell her that I wish to speak to her."  
  
~*~  
  
Hiei's eyes snapped open and he was immediately alert as he detected a nearby youkai; this one was much stronger than the chameleon from before. Hiei scowled and flitted off to find it.  
He found it in a small park; it was a hulking creature with red, almost rock-like skin, and it appeared to be waiting for him.  
Hiei landed in front of it, ready to draw his katana at the slightest provocation.  
"Mukuro sent me," the youkai said.  
"What does she want?"  
"She wanted me to speak to you," a familiar feminine voice replied behind Hiei.  
Hiei cursed, turning to face Botan. Botan's presence had been completely cloaked by the youkai's ki; if he'd thought to check he probably would have noticed her reiki, but instead he had been focusing on the youki.  
"My job is done," the youkai said, bowing slightly to Botan.  
"Thank you for your help," Botan replied, bowing as well; then she turned to Hiei. "Don't even think about running off!"  
"Hn."  
"You came back to the ningenkai and you're watching over Kurama, so at least you're not completely heartless, but the least you can do is let Kurama know you're pulling for him too!!!" Botan sighed, calming herself. "He needs all the support he can get right now; he's pretty much resigned himself to death. We only have a month left to find out what's wrong with him, and that's assuming he doesn't take off the limiter before then. You should go see him; if anyone can convince him to fight this, it's you."  
"Are you done?" Hiei asked abruptly. The ferry girl scowled, opening her mouth to object, then shut it again and just glared at him before replying.  
"No, there's one other thing, and this comes from Mukuro: 'Dancing around the issue isn't going to help anyone; just confront the damn Youko and get it over with.' I don't know what she's talking about, but that's it, word-for-word."  
"Hn."  
Within the space of a heartbeat, Hiei had disappeared.  
  
[1] A Jaki is a kind of Imp; I'm assuming it has very low youki and therefore can generally go unnoticed by everyone, making it an ideal messenger and spy. Hiei was shown to have one in Chapter 22 of the Manga (equivalent to Episode 8). They termed it "Minion Demon" in the translation and I don't know if it was called "Jaki" in the original Japanese or not, but that's what it is, or close enough anyway. 


	7. Chapter 6

A/N: Yay! Just the epilogue left! I'm planning to post that on Sunday. Sorry, I know I said that I'd try to do a Lemon, but that doesn't work with this story (I still want to do one for this storyline though).  
  
The Sin of Regret Chapter 6  
  
It was funny, Kurama had never considered the Sin of Regret to be complicated, just do what you want and it's not a problem; though in all honesty, it _was_ more complicated than that.  
If it had been just lust or hunger for the Forbidden Child's unique youki he wouldn't be experiencing enough regret to trigger his death, but it had ceased to be just that long ago. Lust, hunger, friendship, trust; these things he could recognize, but it took him far too long to realize his feelings went deeper than that, and then to understand what it meant.  
It had been different with Kuronue, they were allies, friends, and casual lovers, but Kurama had never really loved Kuronue; he had never really loved anyone at that point. Kuronue had tried to explain love to Kurama a few times, when Kurama had asked why Kuronue held his deceased mate's pendant in higher regard than his own life, but Kurama had been unable to understand the concept then.  
He was also certain that if Hiei had never responded to Kurama's advances he wouldn't have much regret either, but Hiei _had_ responded; in his own way, Hiei had started to reciprocate Kurama's affection, then he had suddenly turned cold. Hiei had pretended merely not to care, but Kurama had seen something else in his eyes; anger, contempt, and hurt.  
Kurama had not told Hiei when he had had the opportunity; and now he regretted that, regretted enough to die from it.  
"Hiei..." Kurama brushed his fingers over the limiter, feeling the symbols of the spell that kept his youki damped down so that it didn't tear him apart as quickly.  
Why bother? For whatever reason, Hiei hated him now; he'd hardly be coming for a visit. All Kurama could do was sit here and wait for time to run out, while his friends searched futilely for some way to save him. He was tired of waiting, tired of thinking, tired of going through the same runaround in his head every five minutes.  
It was hopeless.  
Why keep waiting?  
The limiter had been designed to restrict the youki of criminals; Kurama had worn one before, during his trial. He knew that Koenma had disabled the lock so that Kurama wouldn't feel like a prisoner; the lock had been the first thing he had tested.  
Sighing, Kurama removed the limiter and braced himself for the pain.  
  
~*~  
  
Hiei was still a block away when Kurama's youki hit him hard.  
'What the...' Hiei's eyes widened. 'That baka took off the limiter!' Within a second, he had landed in the tree outside Kurama's window. Hiei winced as the violent youki stung him. If it hurt just to be this close, how must it feel to be the center of it? The window was fortunately open; Hiei entered the room and ran to Kurama's side.  
Kurama's eyes were squeezed shut, his breath came in ragged gasps, and his muscles were all clenched against the pain. The limiter was clutched in Kurama's fist so tightly blood oozed from cuts in the kitsune's palm. Hiei pried the limiter out of Kurama's hand and put it back on him.  
"Kitsune no BAKA!!!" Hiei shouted, as soon as Kurama's eyes opened and awareness returned to them. "You're not allowed to die until I'm finished with you!!!"  
"H-Hi...ei..?" Kurama's eyes widened when he realized who was standing before him; then he laughed bitterly. "You're the last person I expected to see."  
Kurama tried to push himself up to a sitting position, but he didn't have the strength and collapsed back to the bed. Hiei took pity on him and helped him up.  
"Arigatou," Kurama braced his hands on his legs to keep himself upright and looked at the smaller youkai. Hiei walked back to the window and shut it, much to Kurama's surprise; it was very unlike Hiei to cut off his own avenue of escape.  
"Hiei...what happened? I don't understand... why... you're so angry at me."  
"You were just playing with me," Hiei growled.  
"What--?"  
"Mukuro explained a few things to me about Youko, that you feed on the ki of the people you have sex with."  
"Oh Hiei..." Kurama whispered, finally understanding.  
"I'm not stupid, Kurama!" Hiei shouted, turning to face the kitsune, his crimson eyes burning with rage and betrayal. "I know what I look like to creatures like you!!! I WON'T BE USED LIKE THAT BY YOU!!!"  
Kurama met Hiei's glare evenly, considering how to respond to the Forbidden Child's accusations.  
"Shuuichi?" The door opened, "I heard yelling, what..." Shiori took in the sight before her; her son sitting on his bed, every line of his body screaming exhaustion, while a smaller boy glared bloody death at him.  
"I'm not leaving just because _she's_ here," Hiei snarled.  
"'Kaasan, it's alright," Kurama said. "I'm sorry we woke you. Please go back to bed; we'll try to keep it down."  
"Are you sure you're alright?" She glanced at Hiei with an alarmed expression.  
"Yes," Kurama replied. "Hiei and I have a few things to work out; I'm sorry if it got a little out of hand."  
"If you're sure..." Shiori backed out of the room and closed the door. Kurama turned his gaze back to Hiei.  
"I won't lie to you," Kurama started. "It was my original intention to seduce you just so that I could have some fun with you and taste your youki." Hiei looked away, hurt by that confirmation. "In fact, it was you who reawakened that part of me. Most youkai would give almost anything to have an affair with a Youko, no matter how brief."  
Hiei opened his mouth to object.  
"I know. You aren't like that," Kurama continued gently, before Hiei could say anything. "I know now, but I didn't know then; and by the time I understood that I didn't want just a short fling anymore."  
"You'd tire of me before long," Hiei said flatly, crossing his arms over his chest defensively.  
Kurama shook his head. "No, Hiei. I know you're afraid of that, that you're afraid of being abandoned again; and if I hadn't been entirely sure of my ability to commit to you I would have backed off for the sake of our friendship. I love you, Hiei."  
"Pretty words," Hiei snorted. "Even if you mean them, what about when your ningen side dies?"  
"To be honest, I don't know for sure," Kurama admitted. "It's possible that certain aspects of my personality are only present because I'm ningen, and that when I return to my original form they will disappear. It's possible...but I don't think that's the case. Being ningen changed me, yes, but it was a gradual change, as gradual as any change a person undergoes during their life. I don't believe that the person I am now will disappear with the death of this body; but, as I said, I don't know that for sure.  
"I've told you how I feel," Kurama took off the limiter and Hiei moved toward him in alarm. "I don't need this anymore. I have nothing to regret. Well, no, maybe one little thing..."  
Kurama stood up and walked over to Hiei. Wrapping his arms around the smaller youkai, the Youko-turned-ningen pulled him into a kiss; a gentle but still passionate meeting of lips. One of Hiei's hands found it's way into Kurama's hair as Hiei's crimson eyes slid shut. Kurama pulled back, but Hiei's hand in his hair prevented him from going very far.  
"I promise, Hiei," Kurama said, "I won't just use you and throw you away; and if there is only one thing about youko that you can trust, it's our promises."  
"Kiss me again," Hiei demanded, pulling lightly on Kurama's hair.  
Kurama smiled and obliged. 


	8. Epilogue

A/N: Well, as promised, the Epilogue! Yay! I'm done! ::happily dumps SoR into "Completed" folder::  
  
Sin of Regret Epilogue  
  
"So you're better now?" Yuusuke asked; talking to Kurama over the phone.  
"That's right," Kurama replied.  
"You care to tell me how you just suddenly got better like that?"  
"I don't have anything to regret anymore," Kurama said. "That's all."  
"Uh-huh," Yuusuke said, sounding quite skeptical. "So, what? You were regretting your strained friendship with Hiei or something?"  
"Something like that."  
"You aren't going to tell me, are you?"  
"Are you pouting, Yuusuke?" Kurama asked teasingly.  
"Would you tell me if I am?"  
"Probably not."  
"Then I'm probably not pouting."  
Kurama laughed.  
"I'll tell you all about someday soon, but not yet."  
Yuusuke sighed. "I guess I'll have to live with that. No more close brushes with death for a while though, okay man?"  
"I'm not _planning_ any."  
"Well, I'll see you soon, I guess."  
"Yeah, soon."  
"Take care Kurama."  
"You too."  
Kurama hung up the phone and walked back to his room; he smiled when he saw Hiei perched on the window sill.  
"I thought you were going to report back to Mukuro?"  
"I did," Hiei said. "She threatened to lock me in the dungeon if I so much as set foot in the Makai any time in the next month."  
"Remind me to thank her later," Kurama laughed. "So, what do you want to do in the meantime?"  
Hiei shrugged. "We could spar. Or we could kiss some more."  
"I have an idea," Kurama said. "Why don't we go camping?"  
"Camping?"  
"You know what that is, right?"  
"Of course, I just don't see why ningen think it's so special. I always 'camped' until I became Mukuro's heir."  
"I think it has something to do with getting back to their roots; living like their ancient ancestors. Even ningen have something primal within them. I thought it might be fun; we could spar, and kiss, and other things. Have you ever been fishing?"  
"Fish live in water," Hiei said, scathingly.  
"You don't have to get wet, unless you want to. I can teach you how ningen catch fish; it's really quite ingenious."  
"Hn."  
"We don't have to go camping if you don't want to."  
"I didn't say I didn't want to."  
  
A/N: Well, I have ideas for a sequel; I want to do Hiei and Kurama's camping trip for sure; it'll probably be pure fluff, which I've never done before.  
  
Shonia and I worked really hard on this; Shonia is hungry; hungry muses are obstinate; obstinate muses aren't conducive to writing; reviews are muse fodder; feed the muse. 


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